Government / Politics
Montana Could Overhaul Land Use Laws
State legislators want to make comprehensive changes to land use and zoning laws to alleviate a growing housing shortage in the state’s urban areas.
A Chatbot Talks Regeneration and Recovery for Seattle
In his recent analysis of trends to watch for 2023, Managing Editor James Brasuell noted how ChatGPT might replace all the writers of Planetizen, and more. Chuck Wolfe decided to take literally Brasuell's “don't let it sneak up on you” admonition.
FHWA Rescinds Guidance Discouraging Road Expansions
A decision from the Government Accountability Office spurred by Republican pushback led the agency to issue a new memo abandoning its previous stance, which ‘gently’ promoted maintenance work over new road construction.
Resilience Matters: Collective Action For Healthier Communities
The Island Press Urban Resilience Project (URP) has published a new, free "Resilience Matters" e-book that contains fascinating articles, op-eds, and interviews that provide practical guidance for collective action to build a fairer, greener future.
How Consultants Drive Up Transit Construction Costs
A new report suggests that an overreliance on external consultants by U.S. transit agencies and other government entities is hollowing out the public sector and raising the costs of transit projects.
Should We Continue to Ignore Induced Vehicle Travel Costs?
A recent Planetizen blog claims that urban highway expansions reduce traffic congestion and benefit everyone. That must be a joke! Most planners now recognize that such projects tend to be economically wasteful and contradict community goals.
Report: How States Can Incentivize Housing Production
With many cities and local jurisdictions using zoning codes to slow housing development, policymakers at the state level are taking action to increase the housing supply.
Planning Trends to Watch in 2023
The days and weeks since the arrival of Covid-19 have been filled with so much noise about the future, it’s been difficult to distinguish between big stories and frivolous distractions. Planetizen is here to help.
D.C. Homeless Sweeps Contradict White House Policy
Just months after the Biden administration released a blueprint for ending homelessness focused on ‘person-centered’ solutions, federal officials are forcefully displacing unhoused people in encampments around the District.
New York Hires ‘Public Space Czar’
The public space officer will be in charge of making the city’s sidewalks more pedestrian-friendly while keeping streets clean and accessible.
Friday Funny: ‘Deregulation Works’
A tongue-in-cheek piece from The Onion calls the disastrous train derailment in Ohio a “deregulation success story.”
Feds Could Take Back ARPA Funding in Debt Ceiling Talks
Aid dollars not yet distributed to states and cities could be part of a Congressional ‘clawback,’ prompting concern from local leaders.
Biden’s Renters’ Rights Blueprint: Meaningful or Not?
What should we make of the administration’s tenants' rights announcement?
Report: Why U.S. Transit Projects Cost So Much
Researchers analyzed the sources of increased costs in transit projects around the world, providing recommendations for how to bring down costs and improve efficiency.
Florida Supreme Court Voids County Tax That Included Transit Funding
A proposal from Gov. DeSantis would require Hillsborough County to return revenue collected from the tax to residents who paid it and bar the county from using any remaining funds on transit projects.
City Requiring Permits for Twitter’s Dystopian Office Bedrooms
After a Forbes article revealed dozens of makeshift sleeping areas in Twitter’s downtown San Francisco offices, the city is asking the company to file for permits if they want to keep them.
L.A. County Towns Clash Over Homelessness Policies
Local governments often come to different conclusions about how to address homelessness within their respective borders, but varying approaches only exacerbate the problem.
Memphis: Crime-fighting Camera Sheds Light on Police Abuse
The irony is unmistakable. Public surveillance cameras, long controversial in the criminal justice community, provided pivotal video footage of the beating of motorist Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers at a traffic stop on January 7.
Learning Loss and Urban Schools
Did urban students lose ground academically because of COVID? Yes, but no more so than suburbanites.
L.A. Times Editorial Board Calls for CEQA Reform
The Board argues that the environmental law, while important, has too often been ‘weaponized’ by NIMBY groups to delay or halt housing development.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
planning NEXT
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
